vernacular

Chapter 24 Kneeling Gold

It wasn't until Lin Zhanyu went to Anqing that he realized how useful Qiao Xiaoyan's fame was to his disciples.

He had to admit that it was no exaggeration to say that he and Wei Qingyun did not have the outstanding talents of Brother Zhang in Beiping, but they were able to gain a foothold in the same place at such a young age, which was entirely supported by his master.

Now in this unfamiliar city, at the cusp of the turbulent world, they don't even have a chance to live a serious life like they used to in the open-air bookstore.

No way, they had to go out every day to earn some scattered money to feed their hunger.

When they came out of Nanjing, they only brought a few months of money with them, so they couldn't afford to live in an inn or hotel, so they had to find a shabby house in a village in the outskirts for a while, and head south while doing work. Pedestrians who came and went from north to inquire.

The price of food has risen rapidly, in stark contrast to their plummeting income.

It's not that their artistic skills are insufficient, but that at such a time when people are panicking, everyone has no money and money, and secondly, they don't have the idle mind to amuse. Mind to pay attention.

The money they earn can barely meet the food and clothing of three people. It is absolutely wishful thinking to find a public phone to call Nanjing.But even with that money, I can't get through the phone.

After all, even the letter sent to them to Nanjing has never been answered, and all the efforts are in vain.

However, before they could inquire about the situation in Nanjing, another incident made things worse: Lin Zhanyu fell ill.

At first it was just an ordinary wind and cold. After all, he was a young man who didn't have such a strong mind like his senior brother. During the day, he ran around with Wei Qingyun, and at night, he was thinking deeply, and he was inevitably frightened. It was expected that he would not feel well after a long time .

However, what Lin Zhanyu didn't expect was that more than half a month had passed, and the New Year's Eve was approaching, but he showed no signs of getting better.

He coughed more and more, and his physical strength became weaker and weaker between repeated fevers and subsidences.Wei Qingyun did not allow him to work anymore, but let him stay in the residence to recuperate.

Sometimes Lin Zhanyu even lost the concept of time when he woke up.Looking at the dim sunlight, he couldn't tell whether it was morning or dusk for a while.

Fortunately, Wei Xueyi is more well-behaved. The little baby is wrapped in a bloated thick padded jacket. He either sleeps or quietly entertains himself with the rattle, and never disturbs him.

Occasionally when he felt better, Lin Zhanyu would sit by the window and watch the people coming and going on the street.He was greedy for such a short period of peace, because he would cough again after a while.

There are two beds in the room, Lin Zhanyu sleeps on one, and Wei Qingyun and the child sleep on one.In order not to infect the child, Lin Zhanyu cut a rag from his old clothes and covered his face every time he coughed.

He lay on the bed in despair, watching the sunrise and sunset, and couldn't help but think of his father who passed away a few years ago.

Back then, Lin Xiucai coughed like this, and he was so dizzy. He saw with his own eyes that the other party became thinner and weaker as time went by, but he was helpless.

It is not only his body that has gone from bad to worse, but also their living standards.The two adults are almost full after eating, but they can't make do with medicine, and the children can't make do with food.

Ever since he fell ill, the money in Wei Qingyun's hands became tighter day by day.When Wei Shige first came here, he could still smoke a cigarette from time to time to relieve his boredom. As for now, Lin Zhanyu recalled that he couldn't remember when Wei Qingjun smoked last time.

That night when Wei Qingyun returned to his residence, Lin Zhanyu rarely fell asleep.Brother Wei was very surprised: "You are in good spirits today."

Lin Zhanyu nodded against his will. In fact, he was too sleepy for a long time, but he wanted to discuss something important with Wei Qingyun today: "It's okay, I slept for a long time at noon."

Wei Qingyun sat at the table and poured himself a glass of water: "That's good. Senior brother is happy to see you getting better every day."

"Brother," Lin Zhanyu pursed his lips, "I have to tell you something."

Wei Qingyun raised his eyebrows. In his impression, he seldom saw this little junior brother who has always been straightforward and hesitant, so he couldn't help feeling puzzled: "Just say it."

"Don't take medicine for me anymore, it's a waste. I don't know if those cheap medicines are right for the disease, and they don't seem to have any effect after taking them." Lin Zhanyu forced a smile, and lied without changing his face: "I recently I feel much more comfortable, save your money and buy more delicious food for Xueyi."

"Really?" Looking at the sickly face of this man, Wei Qingyun was obviously skeptical of the words: "Are you really better?"

"Why did I lie to you?" Lin Zhanyu performed exquisitely when he was out of work, and now facing Brother Wei, he was almost watertight: "I'm fine."

It's a pity that he has been with Wei Qingyun for six years, and it's really hard to hide his thoughts from this person's eyes.

Being stared at by Wei Qingyun, he felt nothing was right, so he couldn't help it, so he quickly pulled the cloth strip over his mouth, and started coughing again.

Wei Qingyun looked at the other party, feeling particularly uncomfortable.He thought: What evil deed have we done to fall into such a state?

He roughly recalled his first half of life: when he was a teenager, he lived a stable and vigorous life, then he was taken in by his master in a sudden accident, and finally learned how to support himself, and then he met this restrained and stubborn junior.

Today, after doing this drudgery for many years, he has just started a family, and his junior and junior have just grown up, yet they have come to a dead end again.

The land on which he lives has been ravaged, and the people close to him are missing. He has walked in the world for more than [-] years, except for the dust on his face, he has nothing. Even the people he wants to keep are often unable to protect them.

Why is this so?

Wei Qingyun couldn't figure it out for a moment, and it was also difficult for him to weigh cause and effect at the moment.He silently lowered his eyes, and when he raised his head again, tears were streaming down his face.

Lin Zhanyu was stunned, this was the first time he saw Wei Qingyun crying.

In his impression before, Wei Qingyun was like a strong shield, which couldn't be pierced by even the fiercest wind and frost swords in the world.

He didn't expect that this steel-like man would cry.

"Zhanyu," Wei Qingyun grabbed his cold hand and tried to lower his voice: "Senior Brother, I'm sorry, but Senior Brother is useless. I blame Senior Brother for not being able to earn the life-saving money I gave you."

"No, no, no." Lin Zhanyu was almost incoherent: "No, why do you say that. I, I am really much better."

Wei Qingyun shook his head, unable to say a complete sentence again.

Lin Zhanyu shook his head violently just now, he really had a splitting headache.He felt cold again, and knew that he might have a fever again.

In order not to let Wei Qingyun see the clue, he quickly lay down and turned to face the wall: "Brother, I'll sleep for a while."

He covered his nose with the quilt and gritted his teeth to keep himself from shivering.However, when he closed his eyes, he couldn't fall asleep as he wished, because he would not only think of Wei Qingyun just now, but also the old village chief who cried bitterly in front of him back then.

It is said that there is gold under a man's knees, but in troubled times, life is like nothing, and people are like fluff. How many men's knees have been bent by real gold and silver.

Lin Zhanyu didn't know when he fell asleep, but he only remembered that Wei Qingyun didn't turn on the lamp after he lay down for a long time.The next morning when he woke up, he saw that Senior Brother Wei had gone out, and there was a bowl of noodles left for him by that person on the table.

He sighed, thinking in a fit of anger, he might as well die.However, when he turned his head and saw the carefree little baby sitting on the bed, and then thought about the master and senior brothers who didn't know what to do in Nanjing, he pinched himself severely and called a coward in his heart.

Lin Zhanyu's original plan was to wait for Wei Qingyun to come back in the evening, and then he would discuss with him about treating his illness.However, the sky failed as people wished, and he waited until very late that day and did not see Wei Qingyun's figure.

He stood by the candlestick with red eyes, numb, and instinctively didn't want to pay attention to what time it was.He thought, if senior brother doesn't come back in the morning, I will take the child out to look for him, and I will see people and dead bodies.

What if something really happened to Wei Qingyun?Lin Zhanyu didn't dare to think about it at first, but later he didn't have any scruples.He had been tortured to the point of unconsciousness by worry and fear, and was finally no longer afraid to contemplate the worst.

He looked at Wei Xueyi who was sleeping soundly, his face was as calm as water: "Son, do you know where your father is?"

The doll could not hear what he said, and perhaps had a sweet dream, in which she giggled a few times.

Lin Zhanyu smiled bitterly: "Xueyi, I don't know if your mother is still alive. But if your father dies, I will support you no matter whether I can find your mother or not. As long as I have breath, I will spare you this My life will bring you up too. When you can support yourself, I will go to the underworld to look for him."

His tone was casual, as if he didn't realize how horrible what he said.

Lin Zhanyu thought, he never took his life seriously before, but now he realizes that this thing is so precious.This is the foundation of everything and the final bottom line.

He was able to die heroically for many things, he was willing to do so not to be a subjugated slave, but also for Senior Brother Wei whom he missed so much.

But now he finds that he can also live humblely for some things, for hope, for responsibility, and for one day he can straighten his spine again.

After saying this, he felt relieved.Tiredness struck instantly, Lin Zhanyu decided to take a nap first, and wait until dawn to talk about everything.

However, when he was about to fall asleep, Wei Qingyun came back.

As soon as he heard the door knock, Lin Zhanyu sat up abruptly.As a result, his head became dizzy, and he instinctively fell back on the bed.

"Zhanyu," Wei Qingyun walked over quickly: "Are you still asleep?"

"Senior brother." Lin Zhanyu thought he was delusional, and reached out to grab Wei Qingyun's arm. After confirming that it was a real person, his mind went blank for a moment. The joy and fear of a false alarm were intertwined, and his tears suddenly flowed down: "You Why did you come back?"

This person no longer has the familiar sandalwood fragrance on his body, but carries the coolness of the winter night in the Jianghuai area, as if he has walked a long way in the wind and dust.

Wei Qingyun hugged him, patted his thin back, and whispered to him, "I'm going to help you find a doctor."

It was only then that Lin Zhanyu realized that not only Wei Qingyun had returned, but also a western doctor in a white coat and round glasses.

He looked at his senior brother in astonishment, and the other party obviously understood his doubts, and hurriedly explained: "Don't worry, senior brother didn't steal or rob, it's just that he was lucky today and made more money."